Simultaneous enhancement in the power factor and thermoelectric performance of copper sulfide by In₂S₃ doping

Abstract

Simultaneous enhancement in the power factor and thermoelectric performance of copper sulfide is realized by introducing In2S3, which will be beneficial to the practical application.

Promising and Eco‐Friendly Cu2X‐Based Thermoelectric Materials: Progress and Applications

“…Both Zhao et al and Liu et al have reported the peak zT value of SnSe can be higher than 2 when the temperature is above 800 K. Meanwhile, most other results suggest the peak zT values of SnSe are at the temperature range lower than 800 K . When the temperature is between ≈800 and ≈1000 K, Cu 2 X, PbX (X = Te, Se, and S), SnTe as well as low‐cost and stable BiCuSeO are more attractive. Through nonequilibrium processing, Tan et al have achieved a record‐high zT value of 2.5 in Pb 0.98 Na 0.02 Te‐8%SrTe at 923 K. As a potential substitution for highly toxic PbTe, peak zT values of SnTe of ≈1.5 have also been widely reported .…”

“…The practical applications of thermoelectric materials are highly limited by both their efficiency and cost . Figure c,d shows the calculated maximum energy conversion efficiency (η max ) of Cu 2 X‐based thermoelectric materials (applied as power generators) estimated from peak zT values at corresponding temperatures and the estimated material costs . As can be seen, Cu 2 Se‐based thermoelectric materials possess highest zT values and subsequently highest η max , as well as intermediate material cost .…”

“…b) Peak zT values of state‐of‐the‐art Cu 2 X‐based thermoelectric materials and their derivatives as a function of publication year. c) Maximum energy conversion efficiency (η max , estimated from peak zT values and corresponding T ) and d) material costs (in the unit of US$ kg −1 ) of Cu 2 Te, Cu 2 Se and Cu 2 S‐based thermoelectric materials, respectively …”

“…However, most these developed Cu 2 X‐based materials are unstable under some certain application conditions . Since the revisiting the liquid‐like behavior of Cu 2 Se leading to low κ l (<0.6 W m −1 K −1 at 1000 K) several years ago, significant progress has been witnessed in Cu 2 X‐based thermoelectric materials and their derivatives, as summarized in Figure b. Detailed thermoelectric performance of Cu 2 X‐based thermoelectric materials are summarized in Table 1 .…”

“…Among them, peak zT values of both Cu 2 X‐derivatives and Cu 2 Te‐based thermoelectric materials are generally of ≈1 . A few peak zT values for Cu 2 S‐based thermoelectric materials, such as Cu 1.97 S, can reach as high as ≈1.7 at 1000 K . Meanwhile, peak zT values of Cu 2 Se‐based thermoelectric materials can be higher than 2 through various engineering methods, such as porosity engineering and introducing additional graphene, or carbon nanotubes (CNTs) .…”